The Crawdad Chronicles: The Twelfth Month

There is a story behind these pictures. I forgot to do these photos on James' real birthday. We finally got around to doing it today and realized we had no cupcake to put the candles so we decided to improvise, and that is where the fun began.

First I had the bright idea to put the candles in a pop tart, but James decided to try to eat it. Ryan hadn't put the tray on well and the entire thing fell on the floor. Uh oh! (as James stated for us)

The only other option was a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie. (needless to say it was Ryan's because I never leave a cookie half eaten!) It didn't exactly hold the candles though...

And then somehow the ball got involved!

Next we tried to get this shot, and I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Stats: 25 lbs 7 ounces (90th percentile), 30 inches long (75th percentile- not sure this is an accurate measurement because he was so wiggly!) He had three shots at the doctor's office this time. He screamed really loud but didn't shed a tear and hushed as soon as I picked him up. I was so proud!

Likes: dancing to music, sleeping with your legs stuck through the slats of your crib, your Daddy, "popping" your mouth, reading books, eating, your "loveys"

Dislikes: being stuck on planes, sleeping, not having everyone's undivided attention, seeing your mom hold another baby, the church and gym nurseries

James you are 12 months old!!! You continue to grow and change so fast. Over the past month we dealt with your first real "bug" but thankfully it only lasted a few days. You have become very attached to your daddy. He is all you want, and you are sad when he has to leave. You also love to make this random funny sound that he taught you every time you see him. You continue to love to eat, and I have a hard time keeping enough food on the table to make you satisfied. We have cut down your bottles to only one and night and one in the morning. The rest of the time you use your cup. We probably could have cut them out completely, but your mama loves to get to cuddle with you while she gives it to you and is going to be sad when you don't take one anymore. You also have started drinking whole milk, and you appear to love it. You still love to get up early. We are thankful if you don't wake us up till 5:30 but there are many days that start earlier than that! You are such a sweet boy and like to share your snacks with whomever is around. In order to tell us what you do or don't want you like to point or raise your arm in whatever direction and grunt until we understand exactly what you mean. You did this the other day with the cheerios that were in the pantry. You were pointing and grunting all the way from your high chair until I figured out what you meant! These are the words that you say consistently and at the appropriate times: "ball, bath, juice, uh oh" and you have been trying to say "car". For some reason you have shortened mama to "Ma" which makes me feel like I'm in Little House on the Prairie. You also call your dad "Bah"- we think you started this because we were always saying bye to him, but you definitely think he is "Bah" now! We are so glad you are a part of our family, and we love you so much!

A few moments from the twelfth month: